On The Street
Families facing financial crisis find support and community thanks to you.
Michelle and Gary first came to The Salvation Army about five years ago. The couple had a young daughter and they were in danger of losing their home. Gary had lost his job, and they had no other means of income. Michelle is profoundly deaf and this impacts her job opportunities.
When we first met Michelle and Gary they felt frustration and embarrassment about their situation, especially Gary’s inability to provide for his family. The financial stress had begun to take its toll with the constant struggle to meet the mortgage payments causing significant stress for both Michelle and Gary.
When they arrived at a Salvation Army community support centre they had run out of options. Looking to reduce some of the financial strain immediately, the community support worker contacted the couple’s superannuation fund and obtained the necessary forms required to allow them access to emergency finances, which helped them pay off some of their mortgage arrears.
We were also able to help with utility relief payments so that the family could pay some of their overdue bills. The couple left the centre with a food parcel which provided some pantry staples and other food items to help with providing meals for the family.
Everyday thousands of people come to The Salvation Army facing a crisis just like Michelle and Gary. With your help we are able to provide them with immediate assistance to help relieve building financial stress.
Each week the Salvos provide thousands of food parcels and vouchers to families facing crisis thanks to your generous support.
We didn’t have any contact with Michelle for some months. The next time we saw her Gary had found some employment but the family was still experiencing difficulty. Michelle was feeling excited but also anxious as she had fallen pregnant and was concerned about the financial strain a new born could place on their already tight budget.
About six months later Michelle and Gary’s son was born. After some time, Gary became a stay-at-home dad as Michelle had picked up some work at a shop nearby. We continued to support the family with food vouchers and parcels on a regular basis. After a couple of years Michelle started to bring her son to the weekly Salvation Army playgroup, helping her engage with other parents.
Michelle and her family became regulars at Salvation Army activities, which helped them feel part of their community as well as extending their support network. With your support, we strive to meet the needs of each individual – mind, body and soul. For many people, the best support we can offer is a place to belong and someone to talk to.
The last time Michelle needed financial and practical support was about two years ago. Their financial situation has greatly improved and they haven’t needed to ask for help. However, the family is still active members of The Salvation Army community. When Michelle first came to The Salvation Army she was facing severe financial crisis, and with your support we were able to meet the family’s urgent needs – keeping the family home, providing food supplies and financial assistance to meet utility costs.
However, offering the young family opportunities for social engagement helps to create a support network which provides stability for the longer term. Each day The Salvation Army provides support and services to members of the community in need, including counselling, financial and material aid, addiction services, domestic violence refuge and community support. On behalf of the one million people who come to us each year for help – thank you.
Message from Neil
With the first month of 2012 behind us it already feels as though this year will pass just as quickly as last year. I’m sure there are many of us who started this year with an intention of starting something new or doing things differently in 2012. The beginning of a new year brings with it a sense of hope, motivation and clarity – we tend to focus on key aspects of our life and create a resolution to help us achieve what we want for the 12 months ahead.
The usual New Year resolutions include starting a new fitness regime, taking up a hobby, spending more time with loved ones, striking a work/life balance…the list goes on. It is important we seek challenges that we can work towards and enjoy a sense of satisfaction when we achieve what we set out to achieve.
While personal goals are important, we should also look at goals we can achieve as a community. The Australian spirit is well-known, it is strong and resilient. When we work together we can achieve great things. I see this every day. We are working together, you and I, to help offer disadvantaged members of our community a new start to life.
Your support of The Salvation Army means people who are homeless, suffering addiction, living with abuse, experiencing financial difficulties and disconnected from the community can hope for a better year. On behalf of everyone who came to us last year I would like to thank you.
Having loyal supporters means we can continue to provide current services and programs as well as look at new ways we can meet the changing needs of people who come to us. In this edition of On the Street, we are pleased to share with you some of the new ways we have been able to respond to specific needs. Your support has made this, and so much more, possible.
This year may continue to be affected by economic instability and with this comes an increased demand on services and centres operated by The Salvation Army across the country. However, the confidence that your support brings means The Salvation Army can continue to meet the needs of the most marginalised and disadvantaged members of our community.
Thank you for standing beside us in what has been a challenging couple of years; your commitment is something we value greatly. Our mission is to care for people and offer the chance of life transformation – you are critical to us being able to live this mission in all that we do.
I hope that this year we can, together, continue to make a difference in the lives of the people who seek the support of The Salvation Army.
Every Blessing,
Neil Venables (Major)
Territorial Communications and Fundraising Secretary
Case Studies
Peter
When we met Peter he was distressed and emotional; the ongoing struggle to make ends meet had started to take its toll on Peter and his family. Peter’s 16 year old son was recently diagnosed with cancer and expenses were growing. The family was not eligible for any assistance payments because Peter earned over the limit, but the high cost of rent, medical bills and living expenses meant that the household budget was stretched well beyond its limit.
The family had also not been able to pay a high power bill and they were close to having the power turned off. The situation was desperate and it was important for us to be able to respond immediately. By helping Peter and his wife Allison speak with a financial counsellor, we were able to stop their financial position from spiralling further out of control. We were also able to help with the utility bill so that Peter and his family could get things back on track.
Sometimes we only meet a person once, at a time of serious need. They may need a helping hand to get them through a tough situation. We also work intensively with people as they confront and overcome significant challenges. Whether we are needed only once or every day we are able to be there for people in their time of need because of people like you.
Sandra
Sandra had recently separated from her husband of 18 years. He was suffering from an addiction to gambling and long term unemployment meant their financial situation was difficult. Unfortunately, most of the household utilities were under her husband’s name and he moved out of the family home and left Sandra with many unpaid bills.
The financial difficulty was also increased because Sandra had been unwell and spent a great deal of time in hospital meaning she couldn’t work because of her illness. When we first met Sandra we provided her with support and advocacy, helped her obtain a hardship grant to pay for her rent in arrears and developed a payment plan for the overdue utility bills. After dealing with the emergency we were able to help Sandra assess other aspects of her life. She developed an action plan outlining what she wanted to achieve and she began to look forward to new possibilities. Sandra said that with the support of her family, friends and The Salvation Army, she would be able to get through this very tough time in her life. We wouldn’t be able to be there for Sandra, and thousands of other Australians facing crisis, without your support.
Research Project: No home at the end of the road
As part of Anti-Poverty Week (October 16 to 22), The Salvation Army commissioned research to examine the significant housing stress of single older women. Dr Andrea Sharam of Swinburne University interviewed 111 single Victorian women over the age of 40. These women did not expect to own their own home before retirement and, due to low superannuation accumulations, would be at risk of ongoing housing insecurity and poverty.
From the overall group questioned, 86 respondents were currently renting their housing. These women showed the most strain, with 34% indicating they are under housing stress and 65% indicating that they are in long-term debt that will prevent their ability to retire independently and save for the future. Further complicating their situation is low superannuation, with estimates that 58% of all those surveyed will retire with less than $100,000 in savings.
This research indicates that single older women have emerged as a vulnerable group in relation to housing and financial insecurity. This can be attributed to a variety of factors including societal and cultural issues like wage inequities, relationship breakdowns, parenting and caring roles.
A strong recommendation coming from this research is the development of a ‘community land trust’ scheme, which would assist women in saving for their retirement through enabling them to contribute to housing equity. This report also recommends further research and detailed advocacy as well as educational strategies to address gendered financial inequity.
To read this report and others published by The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory visit: www.salvationarmy.org.au/reports
2011 highlights
Across the Australia Southern Territory (Vic. Tas. SA, WA & NT), with your help, The Salvation Army has been able to achieve some important outcomes in the delivery of service and support to the communities we work in. Some highlights of 2011 include:
Victoria – Night Outreach Providing a Positive Influence on the Streets
In response to increasing cases of violence and disorder on the streets at night in both Melbourne and Bendigo, The Salvation Army has introduced street teams to provide a positive influence amongst the party-goers and revelers attracted at night over the weekend period.
The Bendigo ‘Chill Out’ Space started in November 2010 using The Salvation Army’s Drought Mobile Outreach Vehicle, a truck and trailer fitted out with a kitchen, meeting space, computers, games, LCD TV and first aid equipment.
In Melbourne, the mobile street teams move around the CBD and engage with people out for the evening on the weekend. The team consists of about 100 volunteers, most aged in their early to mid 20s, who work in teams of three who accompany a specially trained leader.
Northern Territory – the New Sunrise Centre
In response to increasing demands on services, The Salvation Army opened the new Sunrise Centre in Darwin in 2011. A number of programmes are operated from this site, addressing homelessness and addiction to alcohol and other drugs affecting the local community.
As part of the centre, the Sunrise Homeless Men’s Hostel accommodates 30 single homeless men at any one time. Residents are provided with a self-contained room and a wide range of support to help them reconnect with their community.
The centre also provides the opportunity for more people to access assistance in relation to drug and alcohol addiction through the Top End Drug and Alcohol Service. This service provides the full scope of recovery services from initial withdrawal and rehabilitation to long term support for people who complete the program.
Tasmania – Pathways to Parenting
Pathways to Parenting is a 16 week support and education program for parents who have children under child protection orders. During the two hour sessions, parents are supervised and are assisted in developing ways to engage with their children in a positive way. Sessions are video recorded, and assessment feedback is given in a respectful and caring way.
Pathways to Parenting has been developed by specialist staff, and after a pilot program in 2010, was offered twice in 2011 in Hobart. The Salvation Army is committed to continuing and expanding this therapeutic family-centric program in Tasmania through building family access centres in Hobart, Devonport, Burnie and Launceston over the next five years.
Western Australia – Perth Coffee Booth
In 2011 The Salvation Army in Perth opened The Coffee Booth as a means of reaching out to the local community and helping marginalised and exploited people. It seeks to offer a way in which people who live in the area but are disconnected from their community can engage with The Salvation Army and the people who meet there.
The coffee shop is a great example of community groups working together to achieve positive outcomes for the people in need. All funds generated from the coffee shop are invested back into mission outreach in Northbridge, Western Australia.
South Australia – Muggy’s Expands Youth Homelessness Services
To increase the number of young people who can access support from The Salvation Army’s Muggy’s programme an additional two residential units were built in 2011. Muggy’s is a residential care and outreach programme specifically designed to care for children under guardianship and who have been unsuccessful in other placements. Muggy’s addresses the significant distress and difficulties experienced by young people who have unfortunately not been able to find a stable home environment.
Muggy’s provides accommodation for young people and works with others living in the community through outreach programmes. Support offered includes addressing basic living skills, budgeting, education and training assistance.
